Vocabulary Development Resources

Knowing the meaning of words will help children understand what they read. A child's vocabulary is developed through implicit and direct instruction. When you read to your child and have a conversation about the story, this provides implicit instruction. When you stop to discuss words and their meanings, this is direct instruction.

Help your child learn new words by using this four-part processing model:

• pronunciation

• spelling

• meaning

• context

Continue to build vocabulary by teaching morphemes, including prefixes, suffixes and roots.

Learn more about vocabulary strategies that teachers use in the classroom from the Alaska Reading Playbook.